Musical notation



S. A. REEVE.

MUSICAL NOTATION.

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Patented May 9, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIDNEY ARMOR REEvn, or BRIGHTON, NEW YORK.

MUSICAL NOTATION.

Application filed July 14, 1919. Serial No. 310,635.

This invention relates to musical notation for pianoforte, organ or orchestral score,

and constitutes an improvement upon my earlier invention in the same field, application for patent for which was filed Nov. 23,

1918, Serial No. 263875, and now co-pending (resulting later in Patent 1,313,015, issued Aug. 12, 1919). The general advantages sought and gained are fully stated in the earlier application. 1 1 In this earlier patent the general inventive idea is defined, amongst other ways, as consisting of a staff the horizontal lines of which are spaced like the black keys of the pianoforte-keyboard, with noteheads of contrasted form so located thereon that, amongst other things, it shall be accomplished that in the open spaces of the great staff, where there is preferably only a single guide-line per octave, no two noteheads of similar form shall occur within sufficient propinquity to confuse the eye or mind as to the pitch intended.

In this earlier application the particular embodiment of this idea illustrated there showed a staff on which, in each octave, the notes A, D and G natural were represented by square or rectangular noteheads, B, C, E and F by triangular noteheads, A-sharp, C-

sharp, D-sharp and F-sharp by circular noteheads, and G-sharp by adiamond-shaped or oblique square notehead. But this arrangement, while embodying the general idea quoted, did not bring out itsbest possibilities. It is the oflice of this present invention to improve upon the earlier invention in this respect.

In the drawing of this present application the great staff is shown as composed of two single staves, each having five lines grouped by two and three, like the spacing of the black keys of an octave of pianoforte-keyboard. The space between the two single staves is just sufficient for a third, intermediate set of five lines like each of these single staves (with proper space between sets), but of this third set only one line.that corresponding to A-sharp-is 7 shown. This line is called the guide-line.

Above and below the great staff super-treble and contra-bass octaves are similarly represented, where needed, each by a single A- sharp guide-line.

In the drawing the guide-lines (one for each octave) are marked A# at the righthand end. The various notes are marked with their names, over a sufficient range to cover all doubts.

. On this great staff A, D and G natural are representedby s uare or rectangular noteheads,and B, (J, E and F natural by triangular noteheads, as in the earlier invention. But, because of possible confusion or. error whenso' many as four tones in each octave are represented by circular noteheads, asin the earlier invention, suchforms are used herein only for A-sharp, C-sharp and F-sharp. Both D-sharp and G-sharp are represented by oblique square noteheads.

The advantage of this is Visible in the spaces between, above or below the single staves, where only a single guide-line octave is used. Referring first to the circu ar form of notehead, one of these, in each octave, is located directly upon the guide-line. Each of the others stands clear from the line, yet sufficiently near it so that there is no possibility of its confusion with the next circular notehead above or below, associated with an adjacent guide line.

Similarly as to the diamond-shaped noteheads, one of them in each octave is so nearly below the guide-line, while the other is about midway between the two widely spaced A-sharp lines above and below, that confusion between the two notes is impossible I claim:

1. A musical notation comprising a plurality of horizontal lines relatively spaced Specification of Letters Patent. Pat'entd Bitty 9, 1922.

diamond-shaped or like the black keys of the pianoforte-keyboard, with rectangular noteheads to indicate the notes A, D and G natural, triaxwular notoheads to indicate the notes B, C, E and F natural, circular noteheads to indicate A-sharp, C-sharp and F-sharp, and diamond-shapsd noteheads to indicate D-sharp and G-sharp, substantially as described.

Signed at New Brighton, Staten Island, in the county of Richmond and State of 10 New York thistenth (lay of July, A. D.

' SIDNEY ARMOR Witnesses:

A. L. SGHWAB, MILDRED KAHN. 

